Things Fall Apart
by Crystal Blue Dry Ice
Summary: A slight AU, set several years after the books end. Harry has lost almost everyone he cares about to the Death Eaters, but soon a mysterious assignment arrives about a rebel called Retribution...HD SLASH


**A/N:** Yay for new stories! I have lots of great ideas for this story…including one hell-of-a end. Also, as the series supposedly takes place in the mid to late nineties, this would be around now a days.

Kind of. I fixed some things to go along with the HBP storyline…like the Harry not finishing school thing... XP (MAJOR ENDING SPOILERS) still didn't happen though. Which makes it an AU. ;)

Also! This starts about six to seven years after the characters leave Hogwarts. So they are all growed up! XP

Word of warning though, this is a slash story, so if you don't want to read this kind of stuff…don't read it. Or read and flame…either way. I shall taunt you if you do though. Flames make me laugh. :D

**Disclaimer**: The lovely J.K. Rowling owns it all, cause if I did I'd be walking stealthily through the grocery store, trying to avoid being seen as I bought bananas and toilet paper…We love you Joe! (Except the title. That belongs to a woman in Africa I believe…X-P)

Things Fall Apart

Chapter One: The Job

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The street leading up to Number 12, Grimmauld Place had not changed much in the past six years. The street was still full of grimy patches of browning grass, and the lamps still cast out a barely perceptible orange glow over the court. The Muggles still lived, completely ignorant of their neighbors' doings, in their houses with the crumbling sidewalks where stubborn weeds grew in the cracks. The music still throbbed in Number 13, the air still felt thick, and the curtains were still drawn shut all over the street. The only outward difference that was noticeable was the aging of the tussled-haired man who lived there, whom the neighbors saw come and go every so often.

The only other outward difference noticeable was to a wizard, however, was that the house itself was now completely visible to the world. For that was what the young man was. A wizard. A wizard by the name of Harry Potter.

Inside the house, unbeknownst to the Muggle neighbors, things had changed drastically. The cobwebs and dust were gone, along with most of the relics left over from the "Noble House of Black". The darkest corners had been opened up and flooded with light and fresh air. All the heads of the house elves that had served the family had been removed and stored in the high attic, in a corner where no one could find them. Though the Black Family Tree still hung on the sitting room wall, the portrait of Missus Black had had her curtains permanently charmed shut ages before hand. The clock that spit bolts had been removed, and the troll leg umbrella stand had been hidden alongside the elf heads in the attic. The house was never empty, always full of the comings and goings of various members of the underground resistance, The Order of the Phoenix. Even in the aftermath of Voldemort's death and the scattering of his supporters, the Order had still been very active, tracking the last of the Death Eater factions down and imprisoning them.

Harry, who had only been seventeen when he finally defeated the Dark Lord, had dove into his work, becoming a bounty hunter of sorts, tracking down supporters of the Dark Ways and bringing them to justice...for a healthy fee of course. And after most of the Dark Lord's supporters had been captured he had gone on to track down any sort of criminal that needed sorting out. And so he had gone on, making a good living, until one snowy day late in November, when an owl had come tapping at the drawing room window, where Harry sat, reading over details of his next target's life and crimes.

He looked up at the rather ruffled looking black owl that was sitting on the sill, fluttering as he tried to flap the snow off. He sighed, setting his papers on the side table as he got up. He opened the window up, letting the owl in as well as a flurry of snow. It flew over and landed on the back of his chair, dropped the package it had been carrying, then took off into the cold again, disappearing almost instantly in the snowfall outside of the window.

Harry pushed the window back down again, and brushed his clothes free of the snow that had clung to it when the window had been opened. He turned back to his chair recognizing the large official looking manila envelope that lay on the seat cushion as a message from the Auror's Office. He sighed as he picked it up and flipped it open, pulling out the letter.

"What's that? Another Ministry job?" asked Ronald Weasley, coming into the room. His once gangly and rather tall form had filled out over the years into a well-toned body, but his freckles and brilliant red hair still served as a reminder to the lanky teen he had once been. He set the tray of tomato soup and grilled sandwiches he had been levitating on the table set up in the corner of the room, not bothering to clear the masses of paper that were spread out all over it.

"I think so." Said Harry softly; pushing his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. He had gotten new glasses in the years since Voldemort's defeat, but they had the unfortunate tendency to slide down his nose when he read. But he liked them much better, as they were much slimmer of frame than his round spectacles that he had worn for so many years, and helped bring out his eyes even more.

" 'Mione! Lunch!" called Ron, grabbing a sandwich and walking towards Harry as he did, to peer over his shoulder at the letter. "What 'cho think it's 'bout?" he asked, his mouth full of sandwich.

" 'Dunno really," started Harry looking up at Ron, the casting the parchment and envelope back on the chair, and rubbing his eyes slightly. "But I suppose it can wait 'till after lunch." He said with a smile and he and Ron plopped down on opposite sides of the table just as Hermione Granger walked into the room, a long parchment rolled up and sealed in her hand.

"The background information on Tomothy Juiles just came in." she said, tossing it onto the table as she sat down next to Ron. She gave him a quick peck on the lips, tied her long, magically straightened hair back, and then distributed the soup bowls and sandwiches before giving them a large grin. "Tuck in then eh?" The boys nodded and they did just that, with much fervor.

The three of them made quiet a motley little crew. The Golden Trio they had been in their school years, until they had been forced to leave during their seventh year. The search for the last of the Horcruxes had lead them far away from the school, and the hopes and dreams they had had until then. Not long after Voldemort's defeat, Hermione said she had dropped her goal of being a certified medi-wizard after they had missed the required classes and N.E.W.T. tests, as Harry had dropped all though of becoming a full-fledged Auror. Ron, who was still struggling with his career choice at the time, had been the first to suggest they become mercenaries, hunting down anyone that needed to be hunted for a fee, the expense of which was determined by the level of danger that they would face in confronting the offender. The other two hastily agreed, and thus the three of them set their skills to taking out criminals of all sorts.

The simple fare was finished quickly and Harry returned to the Auror's envelope, and returned to reading the letter inside as Hermione charmed the dishes clean and away.

_Harry Potter & c/o:_

_We request your services in a case that our department has been actively pursuing for some time with very little success. In light of your past accomplishments when working under our direction, we wish for you and your companions to take up the case. If you accept this task, please state so, and the parchment will reveal the details of your work._

_Do you accept?_

There was no signature.

"Another mystery assignment. Should we accept it?" he asked over his shoulder at the other two, who were pouring over the Tomothy Juiles background scrolls.

"I don't see why not." Said Hermione. "The Ministry always pays well, and the assignments have gotten easier the past few years…easy bank no?"

"Ron?" asked Harry, as Ron had not looked up from the parchments.

"Yeah yeah go ahead."

He smiled slightly at his friends and turned back to the waiting paper.

"We accept."

The parchment shimmered for a moment, before the scarlet ink sank back into the paper to be replaced with writing of the deepest blue.

_The assignment you have accepted is quite possibly one of the most dangerous assignments the Ministry has yet asked you to undertake. So be prepared for anything._

_There have been reports of renewed Death Eater activity in London. It is our goal to put an end to the Rebellion before it starts, thus avoiding another war. Their leader is a very powerful wizard only known to us as Retribution. It is your mission to hunt Retribution down and bring him to stand trail before the Wizangamot. If the target should fight back, or endanger you and your team's lives in any way, you are authorized to use the most extreme force necessary._

_He is rumored to frequent the Zodiac Café in London's wizarding district, and it is advised that this is where you begin your search._

_Luck go with you all. _

Harry blinked a couple of times, then sat down in the chair before quickly scanning the parchment over again. _The Ministry has got to be joking…_ He picked up the envelope again, and peered inside it for a moment, before tipping it upside down, as if trying to see if anything else would come flying out. He desperately wished that something else would…

"What is it Harry?" asked Hermione settling on the arm of the chair. Harry said nothing but simply handed her the parchment, staring ahead ashen faced.

"Oh my…" she said quietly, her voice barely betraying the swirl of emotions she obviously felt at words written in front of her.

"'Oh my' what luv?" asked Ron, sliding up behind her. His eyes scanned the letter, and his face fell. He looked up at Harry, who sat staring out the window with a blank look on his face.

"Please don't tell me your going to go through with this?"

"We don't have a choice. We already accepted the mission." Harry replied resignedly. "And you can't back out of a legally binding contract just because you don't like what came up…"

"There is no fuckin' way I'm going through all that shite again! Do you remember what happened the last time we had to do one of these Death Eater faction things?" he cried vehemently.

Harry nodded. He remembered all to well what had happened. At one time their numbers had been much larger, but they had dwindled as death and other opportunities had opened up to their members. But it had been the very last Death Eater sting that had made them all seriously reconsider their choice of profession. He could still feel the blood that had drenched his clothes…still hear Luna's pained screams…

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! Calm down!" yelled Hermione, effectively quieting Ron. "We all remember what happened last time. But that doesn't mean it's going to happen again!"

Harry looked up at the both of them and smiled slightly. "No point in just sitting around here is there? We should get going. We've got work to do after all."

Hermione nodded and took off towards her room to 'suit up'. Ron let out a frustrated growl and followed after her. Harry sighed after a moment and got up and headed for his room. He had lost so many people he had held dear to him during the war, including his beloved…

_No! _thought Harry. _I can't let myself do this again!_

He pushed his traitorous thoughts to the back of his mind. He took off his glasses and slipped out of his robes and began digging through his drawers in search of Muggle attire. He found a black t-shirt and a baggier pair of jeans and pulled them on, before turning to look for his sneakers. He found one in its spot, but the other was missing. He sighed and pulled out his wand, and summoned the shoe to him, and it flew out of the bathroom. He wondered slightly as to how it got there before slipping it on and turning back to his wardrobe. He shuffled the different robes around looking for something he could wear inconspicuously. He paused over a plain black robe that had no clasps, and looked more like a long jacket when he wore it…the last time he had had been years ago. He fingered the cloth lightly, then took it off the hanger and slipped it on, trying to suppress the memories that this simple coat brought back, memories of the person who had given it to him…

"You must be serious about this Harry," said Hermione from the doorway, interrupting his thoughts, "You haven't worn that since the day Draco disapp…"

"I know." He said softly, still pushing the memories back.

"I'm sorry." She said and offered a small smile before turning and heading back out. "Ron and I'll wait in the hall."

He nodded, then picked his glasses up off the bed and followed her out. He headed down the stairs, and put on his glasses as he did. He barley paused to nod at his companions before apparating away with a small pop, headed for the downtown wizarding district in London.

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Retribution smiled as he set down his cup of Earle Grey. They had sent someone after him. He could tell. He sat back in his chair and watched the comings and goings of the people in the small café, watching for any threats. The Auror that sat at the counter almost every day to observe suspects was shifty, and kept glancing in his general direction. He smiled at the boy's nervousness. At this rate he wouldn't last the afternoon.

Sure enough, almost as if on cue, the young Auror rose and crossed the café towards his table. Retribution smiled over the edge of his cup, taking another sip of tea.

This was going to be fun.

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Whew. That was fun. :D

Review and you get a cookie!


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